Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game board for a plurality of games, this game board comprising a plurality of main sections, all of which are substantially identically provided with a certain number of square (spaces) of different colors in a symmetrical arrangement. Any one of the main sections may be used to play upon, or games may be played using two or more of the main sections simultaneously. Also, several different types and colors of pieces may be utilized with as many different colors appearing on the game board. The game board may be of different sizes and shapes, i.e., square, rectangular, triangular, etc., and there may be as many main sections as may be desired.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,810,626 Eberle May 14, 1974 15 1 BOARD GAME APPARATUS 16,341 0/1887 Great Britain 273/131 AB [76] Inventor: William C. Eberle, 22 June St.,

Worcester, MaSS- 01602 Primary Examiner-Delbert B, Lowe [22] Filed Nov 30 1972 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Charles R. Fay

[52] US. Cl. ..273/l31 AB, 273/131 B, 273/131 KN, 273/131 KP, 273/134 AD, 273/136 G [51] Int. Cl. A63f 3/00 [58] Field of Search 273/130, 131, 134,135, 273/136 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,532,342 10/1970 Simpson et al 273/131 B 3,610,626 10/1971 Nolte 273/131 AB 598,969 2/1898 Anderton 273/131 AB UX 2,848,237 8/1958 Svejnoha 1 l 273/136 GB 3,057,624 10/1962 Bassett 273/136 GB FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2,902 0/1908 Great Britain 273/131 AB [57] ABSTRACT A game board for a plurality of games, this game board comprising a plurality of main sections, all of which are substantially identically provided with a certain number of square (spaces) of different colors in a symmetrical arrangement. Any one of the main sections may be used to play upon, or games may be played using two or more of the main sections simultaneously. Also, several different types and colors of pieces may be utilized with as many different colors appearing on the game board. The game board may be of different sizes and shapes, i.e., square, rectangular, triangular, etc., and there may be as many main sections as may be desired.

16 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDIAY 1 m4 1810.626 SHEEI 2 0F 2 FIG. 3

i W Z BOARD GAME APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are many games of the checker and chess types, as well as many games in which the goal involves specific alignment or configuration, occupation of territory, blocking, clearance, hunting, or racing, and thesegames are of many different kinds; but it is the object of the present invention to provide: (l) game boards which may be easily changed to allow for many different games of different complexities of play and for different numbers of players, and (2) game boards on which the colors of the spaces (squares, triangles, etc.) and the corresponding colors of the pieces define many possibilities of moves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present game boards may be square, rectangular, hexagonal, or some other suitable shape, but in all cases they are provided with a plurality of connected main sections which are identical, each of the main sections being provided with a number of colored spaces in symmetrical arrangements. For instance, one form of the invention comprises 256 squares, 16 on a side. There are 64 each of blue, green, red and yellow squares in a pattern which is symmetrical. This particular board is foldable transversely in the center and on a line normal thereto so that the players may use one quarter or one main section, one-half or two main sections, three quarters or three main sections in the form of an L, or the full board may be used. Increasing the number of sections that are used simultaneously increases the number of possible moves available to a player during any of the many games which can be played on the boards comprising this invention. For some games, increasing the number of sections that are used simultaneously creates variations of the games which are more complex; for other games, increasing the number of sections used simultaneously creates variations which are easier or more exciting to play.

There may be four different sets of pieces, each set being shaped differently and/or colored differently so as to be easily distinguished from each other. In each set there may be, e.g., sixty pieces, that is, twelve each of blue, green, red, yellow and white. Using varying combinations of the pieces, players use the game board described to play many different games according to different rules which may be provided, e.g., in which the colors of the spaces and the corresponding colors of the pieces define many possibilities of moves. White pieces can be used as wild pieces which can move to any square or have their possible moves defined by whatever square they are on.

Also, the board may be formed as in a triangle, having, e.g., four main symmetrical identical sections. The triangle is preferably an equilateral triangle. Each of the corners (outside sections) can be turned down; so, again, all four of the main sections may be used for play, or two or three or even one, and in this case, i.e., the case of a triangle, the three points thereof can be folded in under the center portion which can be used alone if desired. Even portions of the points may be folded, producing, e.g., a hexagonal board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a plan view ofa square game board according to the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the game board of FIG. I with one section folded under so that three of the sections are usable;

FIG. 3 is a view of a triangular game board, and

FIG. 4 is a view thereof showing two of the sections folded under to provide one form of diamond-shaped game board.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION As shown, the game board of FIG. l is provided with, e.g., sixteen squares on a side, thus having 256 squares in all. There are 64squares on each of the main sections of the board and each is colored, blue, green, red or yellow. There are 16' squares of each color in each main section of the board. On the full board these colored squares are arranged in a perfectly symmetrical design created by a symmetrical design which is repeated four separate times in the four main (sub) sections of the game board whose center is indicated at 10, there being the main areas or quandrants at 12, 14, 16 and 18. On the full board created by four adjacent main sections, the design is characterized by five large blue squares each measuring two squares by two squares; and four large yellow squares each also measuring two squares by two squares. One of the large blue squares is located in the exact center of each section, measuring eight squares by eight squares each. Each of the large yellow squares is equi-distant from and between, as well as parallel to, two of the large blue squares which are in the center of each quarter of the board. These yellow squares are also equidistantly two squares away from and parallel to the large blue square in the exact center of the board.

On the full board there are an equal number, four each, of the blue, green, red and yellow squares in each of the sixteen rows of the board, and this is true no matter which side of the board any particular player faces. On each quarter or main section there is also an equal number, two each, of blue, green, red and yellow squares in each of the eight rows no matter which side of the board a player may face. The 64"blue squares run in diagonals connecting the four corner squares of the full board and the four corner squares on each of the four quarter boards. In FIGS. 1 and 2, one of the quarters is shaded for color and the'other quarters are numbered for the colors, that is, blue is 20, green is 22, red is 24 and yellow is 26. This clarifies the disclosure as to the pattern of color squares.

Keeping in mind the fact that the board is foldable so as to present the entire board, three quarters, one-half or one quarter of the board for playing; it willbe seen that many kinds of different games can be played using one, two, three, or four sets of pieces, e.g., each set being shaped differently than and easily distinguished from each of the other sets. In other words, these pieces may be round, square, hexagonal, or with scalloped edges, etc. For one group of games which is played using this board game. each of such sets contains pieces, twelve of which are blue, l2 green, 12 red, 12 yellow, and 12 white. Each piece in'the four sets may be designed so that either by its shape, which allows it to rest on either of two surfaces and therefore, present either of two distinguishable arrangements of surface area, or by markings on one side which can be revealed or hidden, i.e., by flipping, each piece can represent two different kinds of pieces on the board. An analogy here would be checkers, in which the pieces can be kinged.

Using varying combinations of the pieces which are described above, players may use the game board described to play games in which the colors of the squares and the colors of the pieces define the possibilities of moves or turns.

In one of the possible games, the colored pieces may be used only on the spaces of their own color. The rules can be changed so that a blue piece, for instance, may skip over one, two, three, or more intervening varied colored squares to achieve a square of its own color and at the same time take off any pieces jumped in the line. Other colored pieces may skip only one, or only two, etc., other colored spaces.

Also, in another example, the goal is to align any four pieces of one set in a straight line, and each player arranges eight pieces from one set, two of each color blue, green, red, and yellow in the eighth row, the last row on his half of the board. Each player places a blue piece on the first blue square (the blue square on his extreme left) and continues by placing a piece on every other square in that row, matching the colors of pieces and squares. in the final arrangement, pieces on opposing halves of the board face each other diagonally in the middle of the board. Each piece may move one, two, three, or four spaces (squares) in any direction, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. A move of four squares is a jump over three squares. A piece may jump over squares of a different color but must land on a square of its own color.

Any piece may jump its own and its opponents pieces as long as those pieces are between it and a square to which it can legally move. The piece may continue its turn as long as it can make legal jumps over its own or its opponents pieces. Every jump allows another jump. Pieces which are jumped are not removed from the board. Rather, jumping can be used to gain strategic positions. When no other jumps are available to a piece which has just completed one or more jumps, that piece must end its turn on the last square to which it jumped. A piece may not make a move and then take a jump in one turn of play. Only a jump allows another jump.

Another game is one in which a piece may move only from square-to-square of its own color. For instance, it will be seen that a blue piece at the lower right-hand corner of the entire board can move straight up diagonally to the opposite corner, or it may move on other diagonals to other positions. Correspondingly, for instance, yellow pieces would only move where the yel low squares are contiguous, and the red and green pieces would have the power to skip two squares at least to get to another green or red colored square. The players may even make up their own rules for a great variety of games.

Referring now to FIG. 3 there will be seen another preferred embodiment of the board which is triangular and is divided into the four main triangular sections indicated at 30, 32, 34 and 36, and these can be folded under as shown in FIG. 4 in order to present game boards having four, three, two or just one playing section. The coloring may be similar to that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 or it may be different and in every case the main triangle is symmetrical and all of the sections are exactly alike and symmetrical. Briefly, each of the four main sections is made up of four adjacent subsections, and each of these sub-sections is a triangle having nine triangular spaces in which three colors are arranged symmetrically. Otherwise the game maybe played as described above, or in many other ways.

A type of chess can be played using this novel game board by utilizing white pieces as king and queen, and these can be distinguished by flipping one or the other. It is possible for each player to have ten distinguishable pieces from one set on the board, each piece having a difi'erent value or power.

I claim:

1. A game board consisting ofa plurality of identical main sections,

each section being divided into a plurality of like spaces, said spaces bearing different colors in a regular pattern, said pattern being symmetrical in each section whereby the sections are all mirror images of the other sections, and the sum of the plurality of patterns forming a symmetrical game board comprising the sections.

2. The game board of claim 1 wherein there are four sections.

' 3. The game board of claim 2 wherein the sections are square.

4. The game board of claim 3 wherein the spaces are square.

5. The game board of claim 3 wherein the sections are arranged so that any three sections form an L.

6. The game board of claim 2 wherein the sections and the entire main board are square.

7. The game board of claim I wherein the sections are triangles.

8. The game board of claim 1 wherein the sections are triangles, and the entire board is a triangle comprising four sections.

9. The game board of claim 8 wherein certain spaces are triangular.

10. The game board of claim 1 wherein certain of said colored spaces are arranged obliquely in line across the game board, other colored spaces being arranged in square patterns.

11. The game board of claim 10 wherein the colored spaces which are in line are oblique and other non-inline spaces are arranged in closed square patterns having different colored spaces inside the square patterns and surrounding the same.

12. The game board of claim 1 wherein certain colored spaces are arranged consecutively in line across the board and certain other colored spaces are arranged in interrupted patterns.

13. The game board of claim 2 wherein there are more than two colors of spaces and including playing pieces of like colors.

14. The game board of claim 1 including triangular sub-sections in a main section, the sub-sections each having nine spaces in which three colors are arranged symmetrically.

15. The game board of claim 14 wherein four of the sub-sections form a larger sub-section which is also triangular, there being four of said larger sections together forming a still larger triangle.

16. The game board of claim 14 wherein the main section is of diamond shape and includes a hexagon of one color at its center, four half hexagons of the same color along the sides of the section, two on each side, and single spaces at the points of the section of the same color as the hexagon and half hexagons. 

1. A game board consisting of a plurality of identical main sections, each section being divided into a plurality of like spaces, said spaces bearing different colors in a regular pattern, said pattern being symmetrical in each section whereby the sections are all mirror images of the other sections, and the sum of the plurality of patterns forming a symmetrical game board comprising the sections.
 2. The game board of claim 1 wherein there are four sections.
 3. The game board of claim 2 wherein the sections are square.
 4. The game board of claim 3 wherein the spaces are square.
 5. The game board of claim 3 wherein the sections are arranged so that any three sections form an L.
 6. The game board of claim 2 wherein the sections and the entire main board are square.
 7. The game board of claim 1 wherein the sections are triangles.
 8. The game board of claim 1 wherein the sections are triangles, and the entire board is a triangle comprising four sections.
 9. The game board of claim 8 wherein certain spaces are triangular.
 10. The game board of claim 1 wherein certain of said colored spaces are arranged obliquely in line across the game board, other colored spaces being arranged in square patterns.
 11. The game board of claim 10 wherein the colored spaces which are in line are oblique and other non-in-line spaces are arranged in closed square patterns having different colored spaces inside the square patterns and surrounding the same.
 12. The game board of claim 1 wherein certain colored spaces are arranged consecutively in line across the board and certain other colored spaces are arranged in interrupted patterns.
 13. The game board of claim 2 wherein there are more than two colors of spaces and including playing pieces of like colors.
 14. The game board of claim 1 including triangular sub-sections in a main section, the sub-sections each having nine spaces in which three colors are arranged symmetrically.
 15. The game board of claim 14 wherein four of the sub-sections form a larger sub-section which is also triangular, there being four of said larger sections together forming a still larger triangle.
 16. The game board of claim 14 wherein the main section is of diamond shape and includes a hexagon of one color at its center, four half hexagons of the same color along the sides of the section, two on each side, and single spaces at the points of the section of the same color as the hexagon and half hexagons. 